End‐of‐life electronics legislation – an industry perspective

Implementation of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive in Finland: Evaluation of the collection network and challenges of the effective WEEE management

There is a growing awareness of the business value of sustainable practices. Life cycle tools can be used to design and continually improve future products as well as provide bottom line cost savings, increase the recycled content and recyclability of products, and reduce or eliminate the hazardous substance content in products. Data collection and management procedures and tools as well as advanced life cycle technologies have been developed and implemented to meet the global market demands to increase the recycled content and recyclability and reduce the hazardous substance content in products. European legislation such as the End of Life Vehicle (ELV), Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directives, as well as strict domestic and international labeling and reporting requirements have prompted automotive and electronics manufacturers to aggressively evaluate their products and processes to determine the recyclability and recycled content of their products and identify the presence of regulated and restricted substances. The automotive industry was the first to be faced with the challenge of meeting End of Life (EOL) requirements with the ELV Directive. Similarly, the electronics industry must now develop strategies to meet the demands of WEEE and RoHS and improve their product recyclability, eliminate the presence of certain hazardous substances, and implement take-back programs in a cost-effective manner. Companies that are proactive in implementing data collection and management procedures throughout their corporation and the supply chain will be better positioned to meet EOL reporting requirements, design future products that have less impact on the environment, workers, and the global community, and potentially provide an economic advantage. Strategic planning that includes tactical tools for data collection and management, supplier management, and life cycle analysis (LCA) can help move a company toward sustainability. Two tools are presented in this paper.

Lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and polybrominated compounds [polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)] and similar substances contained inmodern electronic compounds have been associated with many health risks. The primary health concern has been associated with the migration of lead and other chemicals contained in electronic products from landfill sites into the secondary water sources after disposal [1]. A number of legislative acts have been issued with the aim of reducing the environmental effects due to the use of hazardous substances in electronic equipment. The European Union has issued the most influential of these acts. The European Union adopted the first one, the directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, 2002/95/EC, commonly referred to as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), in February 2003 [2]. The RoHS directive, which took effect on July 1, 2006, restricts the use of the six hazardous materials indicated above in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. RoHS is closely linked with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive [3] (or WEEE), which aims to prevent the generation of electrical and electronic waste while promoting the reuse, recycling, and recovery of the hazardous substances by reducing the quantity of this type of waste sent to landfills. The critical substance in the RoHS directive is lead, mainly because the directive requires that the manufacturers of electronic and electrical equipment must replace solders and printed circuit board (PCB) surface finishes on all electronic products sold in the European economic region. Although some exemptions were made for specialized medical, automotive, and telecommunications equipment, those exemptions expire in 2010. Following the European Community directives, other countries, including China and South Korea, implemented their own versions of the RoHS and WEEE initiatives. Although other countries, such as United States and Japan, have not passed similar laws, most of the companies in the United States and Japan have been phasing out electronics that are noncompliant to RoHS and moving toward “environmentally green electronics,” mostly because of their exports overseas where RoHS and WEEE

Introduction: The interaction between different product policies will be crucial for the further advancement of a coherent product policy framework. The Commission has stated that ‘the complex and interlocking approach needed to build a resource-efficient Europe can only be achieved with a policy mix that optimizes synergies and addresses trade-offs between different areas and policies’. In the context of the European Union’s Action Plan for the Circular Economy, one of the tasks set out is: ‘The Commission will examine options and actions for a more coherent policy framework of the different strands of work of its product policy’. This contribution will examine the interactions between the Ecodesign and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directives, and how we can create a better synergy between the two different laws in order to promote recycling. While the WEEE Directive sets the framework for the proper treatment of WEEE, the Ecodesign Directive focuses on requirements that products should comply with when put on the market. The connection between the WEEE Directive and the Ecodesign Directive is expressed in recital 11 and Article 4 in the WEEE Directive, where it is said that ecodesign requirements with the potential to facilitate re-use, dismantling and recovery of WEEE should be promoted. In recital 35 of the Ecodesign Directive, the WEEE Directive is listed as one of the ‘complementary’ laws. The Circular Economy Action Plan also puts emphasis on increased recycling of WEEE and states: ‘In order to promote a better design of these products, the Commission will emphasize circular economy aspects in future product design requirements under the Ecodesign Directive’. Hence, the main focus of this chapter is: how could recyclability issues be taken more into account in the process of setting ecodesign requirements? This chapter builds on a legal analysis and a literature study, as well as three interviews with a production manager at a recycling company, a sustainability manager at Samsung Electronics Nordic and a scientist at Chalmers Industriteknik (CIT), in Sweden. The interviews were conducted in order to elicit practitioners’ perspectives on experienced barriers and the most appropriate ways forward. (Less)

Recycling of non-metallic fractions from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE): A review

Circular economy practices in the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) industry: A systematic review and future research agendas

This paper will present WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) generation and non-environmental friendly recycling situation in China. WEEE and RoHS (restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment) like legislation are under preparation by several Chinese Ministries. The EU WEEE and ROHS directives have great impacts to Chinese Electronic Industry, e.g. financial impact and product design impact. Chinese have to make their own WEEE and RoHS implementation strategy. Company like Huawei has set up its take back and recycling system in Europe. Many other small enterprises have to loose EU market as they do not have enough profit margins to absorb take back and recycling costs

The EC Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and on the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in electrical and electronic equipment forms the basis of legislative control over the ultimate recovery and disposal of electronic and electrical products. Understanding the quantities and composition of WEEE arising will be critical in the development of an appropriate collection and recovery infrastructure to meet the requirements of the directive. However in advance of implementation of the directive only limited information is currently available. This paper reviews recent estimates of WEEE arisings, considers the results of trial collection schemes, and presents the findings of the authors own analysis of WEEE arisings in Scotland. The results cover the period of 1998-2008 and suggest that the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment will increase until 300,000-350,000 metric tons per annum is reached.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive of the European Commission places the responsibility on producers to finance collection and treatment of waste deposited at collection facilities after 13 August 2005, on a collective or individual basis. The research identifies practical steps that are needed for producers to address WEEE from private households on an individual, rather than a collective basis. National schemes prevent individual producer's free access to waste, due to established national networks. To address this, developments in some member states show a national clearinghouse or register is to be formed, allowing multiple competing consortia to participate. Part of the task of the clearinghouse is to apply a scheduled allocation method for pickups by consortia on a geographical basis, and reconcile any recycling activities performed by individual producers.

In the past two decades, the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management has become an important environmental issue internationally because it contained hazardous substances like heavy metals and brominated flame retardants. Moreover, some valuable substances were used in the electrical and electronic products, thus representing a circular industry for recycling of WEEE. Therefore, the Taiwan government formulated a legal WEEE recycling system since 1998 in response to the international trends of sustainable waste management and extended producer responsibility (EPR). This article adopted the national statistics in Taiwan regarding the online reporting amounts of collected WEEE since it has been officially designated as one of the mandatory recyclable wastes. Furthermore, the regulatory measures were addressed to update the status and subsidiary fee rates of WEEE recycling in Taiwan. In addition, this article also put emphasis on the regulations governing the toxic chemical substances contained in the WEEE. It showed that the average annual recycling amounts of home electronic appliances, information technology products and lighting in Taiwan during the 2017–2018 were around 117,000, 18,000 and 4500 metric tons, respectively. It was also indicated that the current WEEE recycling market in Taiwan has become saturated, reflecting the regulatory promulgation and promotional measures successfully. In response to the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the Taiwan government declared some brominated flame retardants and heavy metals (i.e., mercury and cadmium) as a “toxic chemical substance” under the Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substance Control Act (TCCSCA), which shall be prohibited to use in the preparation of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) since 1 January 2016. Through the central governing authority, local governments, and private recyclers in Taiwan, the successful WEEE recycling system not only reduce the pressure on sanitary disposal systems, but also prevent the chemical hazards from solid waste incineration systems. More significantly, the WEEE recycling in Taiwan echoed the United Nations (UN) Agenda 2030 for sustainable development goals.

The development of new technologies and the increasing consumption of electronic and electrical equipment have led to increased generation of e-waste in the municipal waste streams. This waste due to the presence of hazardous substances in its composition needs specific attention and management. The present study was carried out in Ahvaz metropolis using a survey method in 2011. For estimating the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) generated, the “use and consumption” method was used. In order to determine the amounts of the electrical and electronic equipment that were used and their lifetime, and for investigating the current status of e-waste management in Ahvaz, an appropriate questionnaire was devised. In 2011, the total number of discarded electronic items was 2,157,742 units. According to the average weight of the equipment, the total generation of e-waste was 9952.25 metric tons per year and was 9.95 kg per capita per year. The highest e-waste generated was related to air conditioners, with 3125.36 metric tons per year, followed by the wastes from refrigerators and freezers, washing machines, and televisions. The wastes from desktop computers and laptops were 418 and 63 metric tons/year, respectively, and the corresponding values per capita were 0.42 and 0.063 kg, respectively. These results also showed that 10 tons fixed phones, 25 tons mobile phones, and by considering an average lifetime of 3 years for each lamp about 320 tons lamps were generated as e-waste in Ahvaz in the year 2011. Based on this study, currently there is not an integrated system for proper management of WEEE in Ahvaz, and this waste stream is collected and disposed of with other municipal waste. Some measures, including a specific collection system, recycling of valuable substances, and proper treatment and disposal, should be done about such waste.Implications: Ahvaz is one of the most important economic centers of Iran, and to the best of our knowledge, no study has been carried out to estimate the generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in this city. Therefore, the authors estimated the generation of the WEEE by the “use and consumption” method. The results of this study can be useful not only for decision-making organizations of Ahvaz to manage and recycle this type of waste but also can be used as a method to estimate the generation of e-waste in different locations of the world, especially in places where the generation of such waste could be a risk to human health and the environment.

Introduction: The production of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) has grown rapidly in recent years. It is necessary to determine the amount of them for its effective management. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of WEEE stored in the houses of Yazd citizens and the level of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of citizens regarding WEEE management. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out using random sampling on 300 Yazdian citizens. To determine the amount of WEEE stored in houses and the level of KAP of people regarding WEEE, was used a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed and data analysis was performed using nonparametric tests in SPSS. Results: The amount of WEEE in the study population was 21.8 metric tons was obtained. Of these, the highest amount of waste was related to the refrigerator with 3.9 metric tons and the highest number of used equipment stored was related to cell phone, with 285 units. The levels of knowledge (with a mean score of 5.06 ± 2.5), attitude (with a mean score of 43.37 ± 5.21), and practice (with a mean score of 10.71 ± 2.95) were respectively in moderate, good and moderate conditions. Conclusion: Given planning by the Waste Organization leads to job creation, access to valuable raw materials, and environmental protection. With increasing knowledge about the proper use of electronic and electrical equipment, their useful life can be increased and the process of their conversion to waste can be extended.

Waste electrical and electronic equipment waste generated in the European Union (EU27) has been identified as one of the fastest growing waste streams in the EU, such that by 2020 annual arisings of waste electrical and electronic equipment will be 12.3 million tonnes. The EU have introduced the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive which aims to promote the re-use, recycling and other forms of recovery of electrical and electronic waste. Printed circuit boards represent a particular category of WEEE that has attracted wide attention for treatment by pyrolysis technology. Printed circuit boards are composed of mainly a glass fibre reinforced polymer resin board onto which are manufactured components containing a wide variety of metals such as copper, iron, tin and lead. But also a range of very high value metals including gold, silver, and palladium. In this paper, the use of pyrolysis to treat waste printed circuit boards as a means to recover valuable materials, including the metals, an oil and gas product from the polymeric resin and glass fibre is reviewed.

The problems of implementation of two new EU Directives is discussed in this article. It is so called WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and RoHS (Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment), as well as influence of these directives to quality and environmental management systems. The RoHS directive requires a number of potentially hazardous substances (lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated byphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE)) to be phased out by 1 July 2006. Both directives will help reduce the environmental impact of electrical and electronic goods at the end of their life and contribute towards our sustainable development. The overall situation of legislation strenghtening, especially in globalization context, is analysed, including examples from the USA, Japan and China. There are suspects that EU directives RoHS and WEEE are just the beginning of a long period of environmental regulations. We may have entered a decades-long period where the chemical makeup of electrical and electronic components will be a big part of business success. The principles of sustainable design and integrating environmental aspects into product design are presented. The main problems of RoHS and WEEE implementation are discussed (totally 17 problems are highlighted and defined). The experience about these directives implementation in the company “Ekranas”, producing colour picture tubes, is presented. An example of integrating RoHS and WEEE systems into quality and environmental management system using the same key elements and processes are given in the table. Decision tree, which is used in the company “Ekranas” to guide decisions on compliance issues, is shown in the figure. The list of literature is presented.

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is defined as "urban mines" due to the various recoverable minerals they contain. However, current WEEE classification methods are mostly limited to their physical characteristics, focusing on collection, transport, and treatment purposes rather than on valorization. In the present study, our aim is to propose an alternative classification approach adapted for low-income countries for WEEE recovery that highlights their content of precious and valuable metals. A typology of WEEE was created based on WEEE generated in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Principal component analysis (PCA) and the moving center technique (K-means) were used for the classification method. Ultimately, we have found that to improve the recovery of WEEE, they can be classified into three main groups: (i) a group of WEEE-containing batteries, (ii) a group of WEEE-containing valuable and precious metals, and finally, (iii) a group of WEEE made up of cathode ray tube televisions (CRT-TV) waste. The WEEE belonging to the second group are the ones that could generate higher economical values. This alternative classification approach will help investors and operators to better orient their valorization activities towards WEEE types that present the best precious metals recovery potential, maximizing their profits. On the other hand, decision-makers will find this classification useful for reorganizing the WEEE value chain.